Hi HO Silver, Away

"Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear"

Every time the monsignor steps up to the ambo, this phrase goes through my head. Actually I think he intended to talk about the current controversy surrounding what Pope Benedict knew or didn't know about the pedophile priests but somehow got distracted from this topic (or thought better of it) and launched into his ongoing lesson, The History of the Catholic Church in North Carolina, instead.

I suppose when you've been a priest for 50 years you don't sweat your homily; figuring that you'll think of something when the moment arrives. Occasionally, Monsignor will bring something with him that he wants to refer to but usually, he can do 15 minutes or longer without notes. He will begin a homily with a topic sentence and usually manages to wrap up by referring to that topic even if nothing in the middle went with it at all.

This past Sunday what his homily ended up being about was how to properly take communion and how the process evolved from the good old days--which he didn't remember quite as fondly as he usually does--to where we are now and how it is JUST AS REVERENT to received in the hand as on the tongue, provided you do it right. And for God's sake, don't mumble Amen!

There was a short digression about how the bishops can trace their power back to St. Peter which happily he truncated and only went back as far as Bishop Begley, first bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte. Monsignor was involved in the creation of the Charlotte Diocese of which he likes to remind us. I *think* this was somehow connected to his abandoned defense of the Pope but to be honest, my mind wandered.

I like to rib the monsignor but I can't really tell if he has a sense of humor (about himself) at all. Even though his views on Catholicism are deeply rooted in the past he has a very clear and fairly detailed memory. If anyone plans to write a dissertation on the history of the Catholic Church in North Carolina, they would be wise to get the monsignor on tape as soon as possible. In the meantime, catch him most Sundays, 10AM mass, at OLG.